


Like the trembling heart of a captive bird (Pinto ficlets)

by elisa_pie



Category: Star Trek RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-15 12:52:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5785963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elisa_pie/pseuds/elisa_pie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a collection of Pinto ficlets I have originally posted on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A surprise kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for semperama's prompt "a surprise kiss"

“Chris, where are we going? I swear, if you have organized a surprise birthday party after I specifically told you not to-” **  
**

He tugs at the blindfold as Chris laughs, his hands warm and steady on Zach’s shoulders. Zach tries not to lean against the touch more than necessary, reminding himself that the only reason Chris is touching him like this is because he can’t see a thing. Which is all Chris’s fault to begin with.

“We’re just going to the patio, and no, there is no party,” Chris says. “And stop that. You’re not supposed to look.”

Zach sighs as he lets his hand fall down. It’s not exactly a hardship to be this close, to feel Chris’s breath against his neck.

“Fine. Lead on, Pine.”

They step outside, with Chris carefully guiding Zach over the threshold and squeezing his shoulders. Zach feels the warmth of the late afternoon sunlight against his skin as they come to a halt on the patio. There’s a short moment when Zach hears Chris move away.

“Okay, we’re in your yard. What did you -”

Before he has a chance to finish his sentence, Zach feels the unmistakable pressure of soft lips against his own, a soft exhalation of breath and Chris’s hand moving to rest against his cheek.

It doesn’t last for more than a couple of seconds, which isn’t enough time to think anything beyond _oh fuck_ , or to do anything but lean into the touch.

They both breath against each other for a few moments, until Zach asks quietly, “Is this why you brought me out here?” He wishes he could see Chris’s face.

“No.” Chris moves away and Zach misses the physical contact immediately.

“Sorry. You can take the blindfold off now.”

So Zach does, and the first thing he sees is the blush on Chris’s face, his arms crossed on his chest as he looks away. The second thing he sees, there on the patio next to them, is a chair. A slightly clumsy but sturdy looking cherry wood chair.

“It’s a chair.” Chris says, unnecessarily. Of course it is. But it doesn’t explain any of this, just makes it all the more surreal: the secrecy, the walk through Chris’s house, the kiss. It most certainly does not explain the kiss.

“I made it. For you, as a- a birthday gift,” Chris explains. “The last layer of varnish hadn’t dried when I left this morning, so I had to leave it out here.”

Zach feels like he’s stepped into an alternative reality, where everything almost, but not quite, makes sense. A world where Chris guides him through his house with gentle hands, kisses him, and makes him furniture. Since when did Chris do woodwork?

“You made me a chair,” Zach says. Perhaps stating the obvious will somehow help to make more sense of this.

Chris scratches the back of his neck and looks at his feet. Zach touches the back of the chair with his fingertips: it feels solid and smooth.

“Yeah. I know, it’s stupid, I don’t know what I thought. If you don’t like it, I can just, put it in the spare room, or something. It’s not a big deal.”

“What? Of course I want it. You really made it yourself?”

“Yeah. I wanted to give you something more personal, so I took a class.”

“But why… all this?” Zach gestures towards the chair, Chris, and himself. “Why did you kiss me?”

“That wasn’t part of the plan, I promise. I can usually resist the temptation, but you looked so good, so perfect, I just couldn’t. Sorry.”

_Usually?_ Zach’s mind is reeling. How long, exactly, has Chris been resisting the temptation? He’s half afraid to ask. So what comes out of his mouth, instead, is:

“You like having me blindfolded?”

Chris looks at him sharply, blushing again but smiling back when he sees the grin on Zach’s face. Zach steps closer, back into Chris’s personal space. There will be time for questions and answers later, but for now, Zach doesn’t care about anything else, just needs to feel Chris’s lips on his again. He slides his hand into Chris’s hair and brings their mouths together. Chris sighs into it, his arms circling Zach’s waist.

“Happy birthday, Zach,” Chris whispers, their lips brushing with each word.

Zach smiles and tugs Chris back for another kiss.


	2. A whisper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for thatmysticbafflingwonder's prompt "a whisper"

It happens the third time they have sex on the press tour.

Not that Zach has been counting or anything. It’s just that he’d been so sure that the first time, on the floor of Chris’s hotel room in Paris, had also been the last time. A fluke, the kind of mistake you’re happy to make while drunk and quick to forget when you’re sober.

That evening they had been so handsy with each other at the bar that they’d earned a few pointed looks from their castmates. They’d spent the entire elevator ride up to their rooms pressed together, Chris turning to laugh against his shoulder as Zach did another impression of the most annoying interviewer of that day. It had seemed inevitable that they stumble out of the elevator together, along the corridor and to the minibar in Chris’s room. And if they never actually got as far as the minibar, instead falling in a giggling pile on the floor in front of it, the giggling turning into kissing, the kissing turning into frantic groping and thrusting, then perhaps that was inevitable as well.

The following morning he’d woken up alone in his bed. When he’d seen Chris before the first interview of the day, Chris kept blushing and smiling to himself. Zach had to force himself to look away.

When they’re in London a few days after that, after another full day of press junkets and monotonous interviews, Zach is slightly surprised when Chris follows him into his room. Not that he minds, definitely not, but he thought Chris needed to be alone after a day of talking and playing the role of Film Star Pine. He’s absolutely taken aback when Chris pushes him back against the door as soon as it closes behind them and kisses him, his hands frantically pulling at Zach’s shirt. Zach recovers quickly though, kissing back as he steers Chris towards the bed, touching as much skin as possible. He’s too drunk on cheap wine and lust to think why this is happening again, he just accepts it. No need to look the gift horse in the mouth, and so on.  

The third time is different, somehow. Zach feels it in the air between them as soon as they step out of the elevator. They’ve both had a few drinks again, but definitely not as much as before. It’s the last night of the press tour before they head back home, and as they’re walking along the empty hotel corridor, shoulders bumping, Chris takes hold of his hand and wordlessly leads them to his room. The thought of protesting doesn’t even occur to Zach as their lips find each other in the dim light, their bodies molding against each other so smoothly that they’re hardly aware of it happening at all.

At first Zach’s not sure he’s heard right. He’s been sucking on the stretch of skin between Chris’s neck and shoulder, his thigh pressed between Chris’s legs, delighting in the moans he’s causing and the delicious friction of their cocks rubbing together through clothing, when he hears the softly murmured words.

“Zach. I love you.”

It makes Zach stop what he’s doing and lift his head to look at Chris, even though it’s too dark to see much. Their lives have been frantic and strange for the past weeks, waking up in different countries, on different continents, for another day of interviews and photo shoots, and Zach feels like someone has hit the pause button. Everything’s quiet except for the fast beating of their hearts, their breaths mixing in the air between them.

“You… do?”

Zach can’t believe it. Any other explanation for what they have been doing would make more sense. Chris experimenting with his sexuality, an elaborate prank, even a shared hallucination. He can’t believe he can really have this, that he can have _Chris_ , if he wants to. That Chris actually wants him. _Loves_ him.

Zach remembers how that first time had seemed: inevitable, like a fixed point in time. Inescapable. They’ve been drawn towards this, crashing together, for much longer than these few nights in hotel rooms across Europe. Zach has the sudden desire to kiss every inch of Chris’s skin, to show everything he’s feeling by worshiping Chris’s body. Words don’t seem like enough.

Chris is very still as he looks down at his hands resting on Zach’s sides.

“Yeah. But if you don’t, you know, return the sentiment, or whatever, that’s f-fine, we can just forget I said that, and continue, or I can leave, if you want-”

Zach shifts closer, their noses brushing each other, and Chris falls silent. Zach waits until Chris looks up again, their eyes so close he imagines he can see every detail in those blue eyes. It’s too dark for that, but Zach would know the exact shade of Chris’s eyes with his own eyes closed, in his sleep. He hasn’t realized, until now, how much time he has spent staring at those eyes.

Chris licks his lips, Zach can feel the movement as he says, “I love you too. Of course I do. So much.”


	3. A nap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for respeckled's prompt "a nap"

“Was it like this when we were filming the first one? I’m pretty sure it wasn’t like this.”

Chris flops down on the sofa as Zach closes the door of the trailer behind them. They’ve been filming for a week, although Chris swears it feels like a month. He’s been awake since six am and they still have another half a day of filming to do.

“I’m pretty sure you complained just as much then,” Zach says with a smile as he goes to the fridge and takes out water bottles and snacks. Chris’s half-hearted protest turns into a yawn as Zach arranges the food on the coffee table and they start eating. When Chris brushes some crumbs off the front of his shirt, hoping they won’t stick to his Starfleet uniform, he can see from the corner of his eye that Zach is smiling at him. He smiles back and continues eating.

It’s quiet and peaceful in Zach’s trailer after all the hassle on set, and Chris is thankful for that. It had been Zach who suggested they take their break here, as if sensing Chris needed to be away from everyone. Even these few minutes alone (along with the food) have done wonders for his mood. He isn’t exactly alone, of course, but Zach’s presence is soothing rather than irritating. They finish their snacks in companionable silence, Zach reaching for his phone when he’s done. Chris leans back against the sofa and closes his eyes, content for the moment.

Chris wakes to a shrill sound and is momentarily disoriented. He’s leaning on something or someone, and it takes a fair amount of blinking and shifting to realise he’s leaning on Zach, and the sound that woke him came from Zach’s phone. Chris sits up and rubs his eyes with both hands.

“Shit,” Zach whispers as he shuts down whatever app he had been using and turns to look at Chris. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“‘s alright. Didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

Zach smiles. “I didn’t mind.”

They sit there, smiling at each other, until Zach points at Chris’s forehead. “You got something there.”

Chris drags the back of his hand across his forehead and it comes away with green smudges.

“Oh shit. I think it’s from your neck.”

That morning, along with his usual Spock makeup, Zach had also had some scrapes and bruises applied on his neck and face, hence the green makeup. His neck is smudged now though, some of the colour transferred to Chris’s skin. The makeup people are going to kill them both, but right now Chris can’t help but laugh.

They probably look ridiculous. Hell, it probably looks like they have been cuddling. Which, Chris thinks as he stops laughing, they sort of have. He kind of likes the evidence of their physical closeness, though. Or at least he would, if it weren’t for the trouble they were going to be in.

Zach sighs and takes a napkin from the table, using it to dab at Chris’s forehead. Before he realises what he’s doing, Chris is leaning into the touch, his eyes falling closed. He can feel Zach’s hand stop for a moment before continuing its movement. When the hand withdraws and Chris opens his eyes again, Zach is staring at him, his face unreadable.

“It’s better now, but we definitely have to go through makeup.”

Zach takes his phone and moves to stand up, but Chris stops him with a hand on his arm, waiting for Zach to look at him.

“Hey. I’m sorry.”

Chris lifts his hand and touches the now slightly messy makeup on Zach’s neck. It doesn’t look _that_ bad. Zach probably imagines the damage is far worse since he can’t see it himself, so Chris tries to lighten the mood with a joke.

“I guess whatever they’re using isn’t cuddle-proof.”

Zach goes very still, and for a dreadful moment Chris is certain he’s crossed a line, that Zach really is mad at him: for falling asleep like that, for smearing the makeup, or both. But then Zach takes hold of Chris’s hand and squeezes it briefly before removing it from his neck. Neither of them moves. Chris licks his lips, and feels Zach’s gaze zeroing in on the movement.

They both jump at the loud knocking on the door, followed by a PA telling them to get back on set _or else_. Chris can feel the moment shatter as they move to the door, both of them suddenly careful around each other.

As they leave the trailer, Chris looks at the green makeup stains on his fingers, certain that Zach’s hand is in a similar state.  He smiles to himself, a small, fluttery feeling settling in his stomach. The makeup people are going to give them hell, but Chris really couldn’t care less. Suddenly he’s not the least bit tired.


	4. A Gentle Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For thatmysticbafflingwonder. Set sometime October 2015 when Chris had that black eye in some photos.

“Shit. What happened to you?” Zach asks as he holds the door open and steps back into the trailer.

This is not what he’d been expecting when he asked Chris to come over after they’d finished shooting for the day. They have both been particularly aware of the fact that this might well be the last one, so making sure they hang out whenever they can during their busy schedule has become an unspoken agreement between them.

Chris walks past him, avoiding Zach’s gaze. In fact, he’s doing his best to hide his face from Zach as he moves towards the sofa.

“If I said nothing, would you just let it go?”

“Uh, no. Chris, you have a black eye, for fuck’s sake.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Chris says and sits down. Zach sighs and goes to sit next to him, waiting for an explanation.

“It happened on set,” Chris starts, and falls silent again.

“I figured as much. Unless you somehow managed to wander off set and have a heated argument with a paparazzi?”

Zach decides to count the slightly amused huff that follows as a win.

“I got distracted, and the stunt guy managed to hit me in the face.” Chris swallows before continuing, his gaze wandering around the trailer before settling on Zach again. “It was fucking embarrassing. I thought I’d learned my lesson after breaking my finger on the Jack Ryan set.”

“What distracted you?” It seems like a safe question, but the answer is apparently embarrassing enough that Chris stays silent, blushing and looking away again.

“Does it hurt?” Zach asks then, looking at the angry bruise forming under Chris’s right eye. He wants to put on more lights, to take a closer look, but he doubts Chris would let him do that.

“Yeah, it fucking hurt, what do you think?” Chris answers, glancing at Zach. The words are harsh, but Chris’s tone is resigned, his shoulders hunched forward, elbows resting on his thighs. He seems oddly vulnerable, and Zach feels that tight little feeling somewhere in his chest, unable to resist the temptation to reach out, to touch.

“Here, let me…” Zach starts, not really knowing what he’s going to say. He brushes Chris’s chin with gentle fingertips and tugs until Chris looks at him.

They stare at each other for a moment. Zach lifts his hand and carefully traces the skin just outside the bruise, watching as Chris’s eyes fall shut.

“How about this?” Zach whispers. He doesn’t remember making any conscious decision to lower his voice, but the moment feels too intimate, too quiet, for anything else.

“Not really. Just feels a bit… funny.”

Zach leans closer, letting his warm breath ghost over the bruised skin. Chris doesn’t flinch, just sits there, breathing deeply. Zach moves his head slightly until his lips are touching Chris’s skin. He keeps the touch light, and draws back after a few seconds. Chris is breathing faster now, but he hasn’t moved an inch. His eyes are still closed, his hands now resting on his thighs, the fingers digging into the worn denim. Zach brings his lips back to the skin, keeping them there for a moment longer and closing his eyes. His heart is beating so fast, so loud, he’s afraid Chris will hear it too.

When Zach finally draws back enough to see Chris’s entire face, he suddenly can’t stand the silence any longer. “Chris?”

Chris blinks until his eyes focus on Zach. Then he smiles, slowly, his eyes crinkling in the corners, until the movement makes him flinch. “Aw, fuck.”

Zach chuckles and touches Chris’s cheek, a brief, soothing caress. “Want me to kiss it better again?”

Chris answers by surging against him, fitting their lips together, before Zach has the chance to say anything else. Zach’s more than happy to stay silent though when he has Chris moaning into his mouth, their lips and bodies moving against each other.

When they part for a moment, Chris pants against his lips, “It was you.”

Zach moves back an inch, looking over Chris’s face carefully, not sure he heard right.

“Uh, what?”

Chris looks down at his hand resting against Zach’s chest, then moves it in a slow caress as he speaks.

“You asked me what got me so distracted that I forgot to, you know, not get punched in the face? Well, that was you. I was watching you joke around and laugh with Zoe and Karl, and I just found myself unable to look away.” Chris chuckles to himself. “Which apparently is not a good idea when a stunt man twice your size is about to land a punch.”

Zach moves his head forward until their foreheads are touching, unable to stop smiling.

“Want me to distract you some more?”

By the time their mouths meet again, they’re both grinning so much it’s more teeth than lips, but Zach can’t seem to mind.


	5. Sunglasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for seepunkrun's prompt "sunglasses"

The first thing Chris does is laugh. **  
**

“Oh, fuck you, “ Zach says, but his words don’t have any bite in them. Hips lips curve into a small smile for a moment like he can’t help reacting to the sound of Chris’s laughter.

It’s one of their first days in Vancouver, everyone excited to see each other again. They haven’t had the chance to get tired and angry at being constantly surrounded by each other yet, and Chris doesn’t think he ever will. He’s missed this, missed everyone so much it’s been almost a physical ache in his body.

So of course he grabs the first chance he has of teasing Zach.

“Seriously, dude, what kind of hipster bullshit is this?” Chris asks, pointing at Zach’s face.

“These happen to be designer sunglasses, you moron.”

“Oh, okay. Were they designed to be worn indoors, because that definitely sounds like some kind of hipster thing,” Chris says, unable to stop smiling.

“Fine,” Zach says as he pushes the glasses up from his face, messing his hair and making it stick up. Chris keeps wanting to smooth the errant hairs back down even as he continues grinning and shaking his head at Zach.

“Glad to be able to provide some amusement for you,” Zach mutters.

Chris steps closer to Zach then, his grin fading into a small smile. He tries to look more serious, but Zach looks so… well, adorable is the first word that comes to mind, but he’s not going to tell Zach that. Instead he takes hold of the glasses and pushes them back down on Zach’s nose, then slowly combs his fingers through Zach’s hair. Zach stands still and lets him.

After Chris is satisfied with the state of Zach’s hair he lets his hands drop down but doesn’t step back. Zach has his arms crossed on his chest, the fabric of his striped shirt tight against the muscles of his arms. Chris swallows and looks back up again. They stand there, staring at each other–Chris can just about make out Zach’s eyes behind the ridiculous dark lenses–and he takes a step closer, not really sure what he’s about to do. There is no more space between them, Zach having uncrossed his arms and let them hang at his sides so that their chests are almost pressed together.

“Zach…” Chris whispers, just as they hear Karl and John approaching, their laughter loud in the quiet intimacy of the moment. As if by mutual agreement, they both take a step back just as Karl and John notice them.

“Hey guys, you ever heard of this thing called dubsmash? Check out what Zoe sent to all of us!” John says, shoving his phone at their faces in his excitement.

Chris chances one more glance at Zach, who takes his sunglasses off again and puts them in his pocket before looking at the video on John’s phone. It takes Chris a while to join in the laughter and excitement, to tell his heart to slow down. He’s pretty sure he’s blushing.

*

It’s one of their best dubsmashes yet. Chris definitely thinks so, and John–the master and director of the whole madness by a mutual agreement of the entire cast–seems to agree as he and Karl rush off to show it to the others. Chris, on the other hand, decides to enjoy this rare chance to take a nap. He settles back down on his chair, humming _Strawberry Fields Forever_ under his breath and smoothing down the front of his Starfleet uniform. He’s still wearing the sunglasses he had on for the video. It’s mostly to filter the harsh lights around him, but Chris also likes to think he looks cool with them. Just like a starship captain on holiday, taking a nap. Not that there’s anyone to see him right now.

He’s just about to fall asleep, the sounds of the set blissfully quiet and far away, when he hears someone walk past him and stop. The next thing he knows, that someone takes his sunglasses off and Chris blinks in confusion at the harsh lights.

“What the hell?! Zach?”

Zach’s holding the sunglasses in his hand and grinning widely down at Chris. It’s an unsettling sight, since Zach is also in costume, looking a bit worse for wear since he’s been off with Karl shooting the scenes where Spock is injured. He looks a bit manic.

“So tell me again, Christopher, how uncool it is to wear sunglasses indoors? You seemed pretty passionate about the subject the other day, and yet here you are-”

“Aw, come on, Zach! I was trying to take a nap, and those actually help,” Chris whines as he tries to reach for the glasses without getting up from his comfortable sprawl on the chair.

“Nah-ah. If you want them, come and get them, sleepyhead,” Zach says, smiling at him. Chris swears under his breath, thinking back to how he definitely wasn’t this mean when he was teasing Zach about his glasses.

Luckily for Chris, Zach isn’t really watching where he’s going as he walks backwards into a corner of the room, his gaze on Chris. It isn’t until Chris is standing in front of him, Zach’s back hitting the wall, that he seems to realise the obvious fault in his plan.

“Oops,” Zach says, and hearing him say that while in costume is suddenly the most hilarious thing ever. Chris starts laughing and can’t seem to stop, resting his head on Zach’s chest as his shoulders shake.

“Zach, oh my god-” Chris gasps as he looks up.

The laughter dies in his throat as he realizes how close they are. Zach has his hands on Chris’s back, like he’s attempting to calm Chris down from his giggle fit. Chris has no idea where the sunglasses ended up, and he doesn’t care. He keeps looking at Zach and licks his lips, suddenly nervous and completely awake, buzzing with energy. Zach’s eyes follow the movement but he stays entirely still. Chris can feel the tension radiating off him.

Before he has the chance to think it through, before anyone can interrupt them, Chris closes the already negligible distance between them and kisses Zach. As soon as their lips touch Zach sighs into it, angling his head to deepen the kiss. His hands move slowly across Chris’s back, drawing them even closer to each other. Chris thinks how amazing that feels, being held like that, and how he never wants this moment to end. Then he doesn’t think about anything at all, until they are called back on set, hastily attempting to make themselves look more presentable.

And if he spends the rest of the day thinking about all the ways he could get Zach alone and press him against whatever surface available to kiss him again, well, no one needs to know that. Except that judging by the way Zach keeps looking at him and smiling, Chris is pretty sure Zach knows and is thinking the same thing.


	6. Drastic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for rabidchild67's prompt "drastic"

Zoe sends him a link to the photo, and Zach immediately goes through a series of reactions: surprise, incredulity, anger, delight, exasperation. It’s like the five stages of grief, except there are definitely more than five of them, he’s having all of them simultaneously, and the main one seems to be arousal.

It’s just a haircut, Zach tells himself, and he’s still telling himself that a week later when he finally sees Chris and the hair–or the lack of it–for himself. He can’t help but stare, barely able to say hello as his hands itch to touch Chris’s head.

Chris just chuckles at him, eyes crinkling. “I take it you like it then?”

Zach finally drags his gaze back to Chris’s face and attempts a careless shrug. “I–well, I guess it’s okay.”

“Okay?” Chris repeats and smiles again. He steps closer, until there’s hardly any space between them. “You wanna touch it?”

“What?”

Chris takes Zach’s hand and lifts it to his head. Zach very nearly moans at the feel of those short hairs against his palm as he moves his hand, watching as Chris’s eyes close in bliss. He gets hard embarrassingly fast and actually whimpers when Chris brings their crotches together and grinds against him.

“I hoped you’d like it,” Chris whispers against Zach lips, his eyes still closed, and then they are kissing and Zach can’t bring himself to care about the sounds he makes.


	7. Don't Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for rycolfan's prompt "don't leave"

“Don’t leave,” Chris says, the words leaving him in a rush. He can feel himself blushing as Zach stares at him, eyebrows climbing towards his hairline. “Just–not yet.”

Chris looks down at the ground, pushing his hands deeper into his pockets. How did he manage to ruin everything already? This is the first time he’s hung out with Zach–just the two of them, with none of Zach’s super cool friends around to distract him from what a mess Chris is. That’s why Chris had suggested they go to the movies, because that meant no talking, just Zach–infuriatingly gorgeous, distracting Zach–sitting next to him. In the diner afterwards they’d been busy talking about the film, so apart from the unfortunate ketchup stain on his button down shirt Chris hadn’t embarrassed himself too badly. Until now.

“What?” Zach says, like he’s not sure he heard right.

This should be where Chris claims he said something else altogether, something funny, something cool. Instead, he blurts: “I had a great time, with you, tonight, and I just.. don’t want it to be over yet?”

“Okay…” Zach says and smiles at him, the same kind of indulgent little grin he’d had when Chris had gotten excited about the Oreo milkshake at the diner. “Well, we can walk through the park if you want? I’m going that way anyway, so.”

Chris nods, grateful for the suggestion.

The path is mostly dark, with yellowish street lights illuminating them every few steps. Chris is hyper aware of the distance between them, his heart beating faster each time their hands brush by accident.

“Where’s my good night kiss then?” Zach asks, his eyes dancing in the darkness as they stop at the edge of the park.

When Chris just splutters, trying to come up with a reply, Zach takes a step closer and puts his hand on Chris’s shoulder.

“That’s what all of this was, right? I mean, you never actually used the word date, but…”

“No, I mean, yeah, it was definitely a date, if that’s what you want, yes, sure,” Chris says. He tells himself to shut up before he says anything more damaging, anything about how long he’s been watching Zach across the hallway and in class, before he got the courage to approach Zach’s loud group of friends in the cafeteria.

Zach smiles, and it’s softer now, his whole expression full of delight. “Good. In that case, I also had a great time tonight.”

“Okay, good, yeah, that’s good.”

“Still waiting for that kiss, though,” Zach says and leans closer, still smiling.

Chris closes the final distance between their lips and sighs when Zach’s hand moves into his hair, Zach’s lips moving against his without hesitation, erasing the last doubts from Chris’s mind.


	8. Cheap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for seepunkrun's prompt "cheap"

Chris stands in the aisle, looking at the wine selection. He knows his wines, and usually has no trouble selecting the perfect–and usually expensive–bottle for the meal he’s preparing. But his usual fancy choice of wine for shrimp pad thai won’t work now. It would seem too extravagant for a simple dinner. Not a date, Chris tells himself for the hundredth time as he finally leaves the store. Just a casual dinner for his new neighbour, to make him feel welcome in the building–despite the fact that the guy moved in two months ago. It’s hardly Chris’s fault if it took him a while to gather up the courage to ask the hot new neighbour for a dinner.

In the end it hardly matters. He sets the table, checks everything and then has to go and change his shirt because he’s somehow gotten flour all over the front. When the doorbell rings, he hasn’t managed to button up his shirt completely, and ignores the top buttons in his rush to open the door.

“Hi,” Chris says.

Zach smiles and hands him a bottle.

“I thought since you’re cooking, I could at least bring you this.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.”

“It smells amazing, by the way,” Zach says as they walk to the kitchen.

Before Chris settles the new bottle on the table next to the one he bought earlier he takes a closer look at the label.

“Wow! This must have cost a fortune.”

Zach steps closer, taking the bottle from Chris’s hand and putting it down on the table. “Well, I thought tonight deserves something a little more… special.”

Chris finds himself gravitating towards Zach until they’re so close he can smell Zach’s aftershave. It’s a deep, smoky scent that makes him want to press his face into Zach’s neck, to lick at the skin there until all he can taste is Zach.

“Yeah,” Chris says, licking his lips. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Oh, I definitely am,” Zach says, his gaze following the movement of Chris’s lips, and dropping lower. “So hungry.”


End file.
